Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 2:14 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 2:14 a.m.

TAMPA | If Josh Freeman is worried about entering the final year of his contract, he isn't showing it. In fact, Freeman has had a solid offseason and is looking forward to a more consistent season.

Following the first day of mini-camp, the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback talked about how much more comfortable he is in his second season in this offense.

The Bucs mini-camp will last through Thursday, then the players get about a five-week break before training camp. The team is looking for a smoother season this year.

It was a roller-coaster season in 2012 for Freeman. There was good; there was bad; and there was ugly.

The good: Freeman threw for more than 4,000 yards and set a team record with 27 touchdown passes. He also had a string of five-straight weeks with a quarterback rating of greater than 100.

The bad: He was sacked 25 times and had a completion percentage of 54.8.

The ugly: In two games, Freeman had eight interceptions, nearly half of his 17 total for the year. In a 41-0 loss to New Orleans, Freeman passed for 279 yards but threw four picks on 26-of-47 passing.

A lot of the inconsistency was chalked up to Freeman getting used to the new offense.

"The comfort level is so much higher, and I speak for the entire offense," Freeman said. "The communication going on each down, (is) all function of a higher level of learning. That comes with experience. This offseason, guys have put in a lot of work. Everybody all around is making sure by the time we get to the season, there's no more of plays of indecision. Everybody will be on the same page. We're not going to hinder ourselves."

Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said he has noticed the difference in Freeman, which he said was expected.

"All of us are better the second time you do something, I hope," Schiano said. "You learn from your mistakes. You also learn what you do well and what people are going to try to do (to stop) what you do. So, all those things added up, I think, really helps you do better.

"I feel much more comfortable doing the job the second year around in the NFL, and I'm sure Josh feels more comfortable in the offense. You can just stand there and listen to he and (offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan) and (quarterback coach John McNulty) communicate. Where we are today is a lot farther along than where we were this time last year for sure."

Playing in the final year of his rookie contract, Freeman is looking for the growth of the offense in the offseason to carry over to training camp and the regular season.

"Things are set up for us to play well as an offense this year," Freeman said. "I wouldn't say there's any added pressure. You're doing something you love to do. It's lot of fun. You love the people you work with. The pressure comes from within, wanting to compete and take it to the next level."

NOTE

There were a lot of things for newly acquired offensive lineman Gabe Carimi to get acclimated with - his new teammates and the playbook among the most important. But there was another thing the former first-rounder said was different.

"It's a hot day," Carimi said. "It's not like this in Chicago, that's for sure."

The Bucs traded a sixth-round pick for the 6-foot-7, 316-pound former Outland Trophy winner. Able to play both guard and tackle, Carimi gives the Bucs some flexibility along the line.

"I think it's a great opportunity here," he said. "We've got good players here. I'm looking forward to going in there and competing."

[ Rick Brown may be reached by email at rick.brown@theledger.com or at 863-802-7569. ]

<p>TAMPA | If Josh Freeman is worried about entering the final year of his contract, he isn't showing it. In fact, Freeman has had a solid offseason and is looking forward to a more consistent season.</p><p>Following the first day of mini-camp, the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback talked about how much more comfortable he is in his second season in this offense.</p><p>The Bucs mini-camp will last through Thursday, then the players get about a five-week break before training camp. The team is looking for a smoother season this year.</p><p>It was a roller-coaster season in 2012 for Freeman. There was good; there was bad; and there was ugly.</p><p>The good: Freeman threw for more than 4,000 yards and set a team record with 27 touchdown passes. He also had a string of five-straight weeks with a quarterback rating of greater than 100.</p><p>The bad: He was sacked 25 times and had a completion percentage of 54.8.</p><p>The ugly: In two games, Freeman had eight interceptions, nearly half of his 17 total for the year. In a 41-0 loss to New Orleans, Freeman passed for 279 yards but threw four picks on 26-of-47 passing.</p><p>A lot of the inconsistency was chalked up to Freeman getting used to the new offense.</p><p>"The comfort level is so much higher, and I speak for the entire offense," Freeman said. "The communication going on each down, (is) all function of a higher level of learning. That comes with experience. This offseason, guys have put in a lot of work. Everybody all around is making sure by the time we get to the season, there's no more of plays of indecision. Everybody will be on the same page. We're not going to hinder ourselves."</p><p>Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said he has noticed the difference in Freeman, which he said was expected.</p><p>"All of us are better the second time you do something, I hope," Schiano said. "You learn from your mistakes. You also learn what you do well and what people are going to try to do (to stop) what you do. So, all those things added up, I think, really helps you do better.</p><p>"I feel much more comfortable doing the job the second year around in the NFL, and I'm sure Josh feels more comfortable in the offense. You can just stand there and listen to he and (offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan) and (quarterback coach John McNulty) communicate. Where we are today is a lot farther along than where we were this time last year for sure."</p><p>Playing in the final year of his rookie contract, Freeman is looking for the growth of the offense in the offseason to carry over to training camp and the regular season.</p><p>"Things are set up for us to play well as an offense this year," Freeman said. "I wouldn't say there's any added pressure. You're doing something you love to do. It's lot of fun. You love the people you work with. The pressure comes from within, wanting to compete and take it to the next level."</p><p><b>NOTE</b></p><p>There were a lot of things for newly acquired offensive lineman Gabe Carimi to get acclimated with - his new teammates and the playbook among the most important. But there was another thing the former first-rounder said was different.</p><p>"It's a hot day," Carimi said. "It's not like this in Chicago, that's for sure."</p><p>The Bucs traded a sixth-round pick for the 6-foot-7, 316-pound former Outland Trophy winner. Able to play both guard and tackle, Carimi gives the Bucs some flexibility along the line.</p><p>"I think it's a great opportunity here," he said. "We've got good players here. I'm looking forward to going in there and competing."</p><p>[ Rick Brown may be reached by email at rick.brown@theledger.com or at 863-802-7569. ]</p>